Moscow again invites international organizations to monitor Chechen referendum
Speaking on Radio Rossii on 18 February,
Russian presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii said Russia would welcome
monitoring by international observers of the 23 March referendum on a new
draft Chechen constitution and election legislation, Russian news agencies
reported. He said that only those Russian servicemen permanently stationed
in Chechnya are eligible to vote in the referendum, adding that they account
for less than 7 percent of the republic's 537,655 registered voters. Yastrzhembskii
also said that elections for a new Chechen president could take place "several
months" after the constitution is approved. He said law-enforcement
agencies will do their best to ensure security for the referendum, noting
that not a single act of violence was registered during the election in
August 2000 of a deputy to represent Chechnya in the Duma. LF
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